Equinox
by lorrai.hal
Summary: If you were a Quileute werewolf, you'd know that in La Push everything happens at once or nothing happens at all. Very little has happened in the two years since BD, but things are about to get shaken up... What's next for the furry protectors of La Push? Imprints, new wolves, and more inside.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and material belong to Stephenie Meyer. My Twi-verse begins two years post-BD; I've got new characters and a different focus for the plot. Happy reading!

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September 7, 2008

"What's taking you so long, Genessa? Your brother is threatening to leave you."

"This stupid thing doesn't fit right."

"Let me see if I can help."

When Genessa opened the door for her mother, Vivian Crowley stepped through, taking in her daughter's outfit. The swimsuit she was wearing was a gift from Tyler's girlfriend, Lauren, since Genessa had outgrown her old one – it had been a cute one piece with a zipper down the middle, but it no longer zipped over her bust and it bit into her newly developed curves uncomfortably. Lauren's bathing suit was uncomfortable in a radically different way. It was a bikini – Genessa's first two piece suit – and a sexy one at that. It was composed of a series of black strings and a four tiny triangles barely big enough to cover her essentials.

"Oh, honey, I think that's how it's supposed to fit."

"I can't wear this to the beach, Momma!"

"Well, I don't know what you want me to do, Ness. We don't have time to go to the store before you all are supposed to leave," Vivian Crowley pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead comfortingly. "I know you're not exactly comfortable showing so much skin, but it doesn't look bad. In fact, I'm sure you're going to catch a lot of eyes."

"GENESSA! If you don't hurry up, I'm going to leave you. I'm serious!"

"I'm coming, you ogre!" Genessa shouted back, rushing around her room to shimmy into a pair of jean shorts and throw on an oversized T-shirt she'd stolen from one of her brothers and modified beyond recognition.

"Bye, Momma,"she paused long enough to give her mother a peck on the cheek before sprinting out. Genessa made it to the bottom of the stairs just in time to see Tyler walking out of the front door and, like any little sister worth her title, jumped on his back with a flying leap.

"I told you I was coming!" she yelled in his ear as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a loose headlock.

"I wasn't leaving you, Nester. I was just getting the keys from Dad," Tyler explained, jogging down the porch steps and cutting across the grass that separated the house from the one beside it. He walked into the house unceremoniously and a small Asian woman looked up from where she was folding laundry on the couch.

"Hey, have you seen Dad? He said we could borrow the SUV."

"I think Eric beat you to it; they're in the office."

"Thanks."

Genessa slid off of Tyler's back as he headed off and began helping the woman with the laundry.

"G'morning."

"It's practically noon, sweetie," Mai laughed.

"Well, I just woke up, so it's morning to me, Mom."

Genessa's family was a bit different from the rest of the families in Forks. For one thing, they were the only minorities in the town, and the second was that they were polyamorous. Genessa had two moms, two dads, two brothers, and two houses. Her two sets of parents had bonded over being the only faces of color in an otherwise white town and raising young sons, Tyler Crowley and Eric Yorkie, and become good friends. As the saying goes, love is friendship set on fire. The misters and misuses Yorkie and Crowley couldn't say exactly when their friendship had been set aflame exactly, but it had been sometime between when Tyler and Eric were two and three. When the boys were four, their parents had bought a pair of houses right beside each other to make their unique little family function a bit more smoothly and when they were five, their little sister had been born and the Yorkie-Crowley family was complete.

John Yorkie, Eric, and Tyler emerged as Genessa and Mai Yorkie finished up with the laundry.

"Heya, Dad."

"Good morning, Nessa," John gave the girl a quick squeeze and clapped the boys on their shoulders before handing off the keys to the family's SUV. "Alright, you guys get out of here and have fun."

"And stay safe," Mai added, coming around the coffee table to dole out hugs.

After exchanging their quick goodbyes, the three siblings got into the SUV to go pick up their friends… well, the boys' friends. Genessa quickly found herself in a car full of couples: Tyler and Lauren, Mike and Jessica, Eric and Ben. Genessa couldn't help but pout and wish for the beach to come quickly; she hated being surrounded by so many lovey-dovey individuals. If it wasn't for the fact that this was the annual final get-together of the summer, and her last chance to hang out with her brothers before they went back to college, Genessa would not have subjected herself to this.

"Is that a new bathing suit, Laur?" Jessica asked, reaching over Genessa to flick at the strap that was peeking out of her best friend's shirt.

"Not exactly. I picked this up when I was in _Cali_."

Genessa internally rolled her eyes at the way Lauren talked about California with a pompous air as though she was actually from the Golden State instead of simply going to school there and that she was somehow better than everyone else for doing so.

"I should've asked you to bring one for me, too," Jessica pouted.

"I actually did, but I ended up giving it to Genessa," Lauren shifted her attention to the younger girl and raised her voice an octave to the weird pitch she used whenever she was trying to show Genessa how nice she could be, as though, by being nice to Genessa, Lauren could get the younger girl to write a letter of recommendation for her to Tyler – because they both knew that Tyler was only interested in Lauren for as long as he was in Forks. Despite the fact that she knew exactly what Lauren was doing, Genessa played along, letting Lauren take her out to get her nails done and give her things, like the swimsuit… although, that particular gift had backfired.

"Oooh, are you wearing it today?" Jessica clamored and Genessa nodded.

"How do you like it?" Lauren asked.

"Mom said I looked great," Genessa evaded.

The other girls failed to notice Genessa's lack of enthusiasm. Lauren took the opportunity to praise her own eye for fashion while Jessica crowed her agreement. Their conversation turned from fashion to the Kardashians and it was all downhill from there. Sitting in the middle of the backseat between the two of them was hell to Genessa.

"We're here!" Eric announced as he parked.

Genessa got out of the car and stretched, looking around in confusion.

"This isn't First Beach. Where are we?"

"It's Second Beach. Eric and I found it when we were hiking and we figured everybody might like to come out since it's got a bit more sand," Ben explained.

Genessa looked out at the new beach and couldn't help but agree that it was much beachier than its counterpart. She wondered why they'd never come here before.

"It's not like, sacred tribal territory or anything, is it?"

"Doubt it. I mean, I didn't see a 'no trespassing' sign. Worst case scenario we get asked to leave – no big deal," Ben shrugged as he grabbed a stack of blankets, handing them to Genessa before taking hold of a couple of lounge chairs and following the rest of the group down the walkway to the beach.

It didn't take long for them to get situated. The boys were playing some sort of tackle football game in the water while the girls lounged on the beach. Lauren and Jessica lay on blanket as they attempted to suntan with odd foil panels that looked like they came from the set of a B-rated space film while Genessa was curled up in one of the lounge chairs with a copy of _The Catcher in the Rye_.

"Is that for scholarship or pleasure?" Jessica asked.

"Summer reading."

"No one reads for pleasure, Jessica," Lauren chastised as though her friend was the ignorant one in their relationship. "Except for Bella, I suppose, but she was kind of different."

"Plenty of people read for fun, Lauren," Jessica replied with incredible patience before returning her attention to Genessa. "Does Ms. Lewis still teach AP Lit?"

Genessa's eyes shifted between the blonde and brunette in front of her, wondering how in the world the former valedictorian had ended up being the dumb blonde's best friend. She supposed it was a hazard of living in a small town.

"I don't even know her."

"Man, I feel old. I can't believe it's only been a couple years since we graduated."

Before Genessa could respond, a pair of wet arms grabbed her and lifted her out of her chair. She swatted at Eric, screaming to be put down before he could throw her in the water.

"This is a school book!"

Eric had mercy, setting Genessa down long enough for her to put her book back in her bag and strip down to her swimsuit before continuing where he'd left off and tossing her into the water.

Genessa came up sputtering and flicking her wet hair out of her face.

"Wowza," Mike spurted, receiving a friendly but warning clap on the back as Tyler reminded him that the girl in question was his sister.

"I'm going to kill you!" Genessa dove at Eric, attempting to push him underwater and a game of chase ensued until Genessa allowed herself to be roped into playing water football.

The game fell apart when Jessica and Lauren decided that they'd had enough sun and wanted to play chicken with their boyfriends and Eric and Ben went back to the beach to start up the grill. Genessa swam off, not wanting to stay with the couples, but not quite ready to get out of the water. She'd been drifting for a while when a sudden snag caught her attention. She patted at her hair with one hand while swimming with the other before realizing that the job would require two hands. A drifting branch had somehow gotten tangled up with her hair and strappy bikini top.

Genessa swam to a boulder that sat proudly in the middle of the lake and began to fix her hair, absentmindedly humming the song Momma, as she called Vivian Crowley, used to sing when she'd used to sing when she'd fixed Genessa's hair.

"Black is the color of my-"

Genessa's song cut off abruptly when a loud splash sounded behind her. She turned to see a huge man emerging from the water and swimming towards her. Genessa scrambled off of the rock and into the water, throwing the stick and losing her top in the process. She shrieked and dove after it, only to come face to face with the man underwater. Something in his eyes stole her breath and her senses. Time, water, breathing all else fell away. All that existed was him.

 _So this is imprinting,_ Brady Fuller thought to himself, unable to take his eyes off of his imprint – and why would he want to? She was amazing and beautiful and perfect in every way.

Reality broke through Brady's fog as he realized that his imprint was about to drown. He plucked her out of the water and set her back on the rock, letting Jake's memory of saving Bella guide his shaking hands. He didn't know exactly what he'd done, just that it seemed to have worked since she was coughing up water and that her skin was soft and that he wanted to drown in the brown eyes that were blinking back up at him shyly as his imprint came to.

"Wha-?"

And that she had the voice of an angel and that she had the body of a goddess and that she might have a concussion from smacking her forehead into his chin.

"Ow!" Genessa grabbed at her head and then lowered her arms to cover her naked breasts. "Fuck. Shit! My top."

And that she needed her top. She needed him to get her top. She needed him!

Brady dove back under the water, searching for his imprint's top by following the faint traces of the scent of sunshine that led him downstream.

Genessa sat up on the rock, drawing her legs up and situating her hair to cover up as much of her as possible as she watched him swim away. He was beautiful. Not in the cliche pretty boy, Ken doll sort of way. But drop dead, panty-dropping rugged beautiful. He had a strong jaw she wanted to lick, onyx eyes framed by gorgeous lashes she wanted to feel _everywhere_ , and a strong, muscled back she wanted to run her hands over. He was like the flesh and blood version of a hero of one of her mothers' romance novels. Genessa dropped her head to her knees and tried to will away the images her mind conjured up of what would happen next if she was the heroine in the same plot. It didn't work.

As Brady swam back toward his imprint with an oddly formed piece of fabric he supposed was her bikini top, he noted that her scent had changed from pure sunshine to something sweeter, like warm honey, and it called to him like a siren's song. Brady swam faster than he'd realized he was capable of.

The air around Genessa was charged with electricity. She could feel the hair on her arms filling with static. She raised her head and saw that her hero's eyes were filled with the same energy that raced through her body dizzyingly.

She reached out a hand – whether it was for her top or for him, she wasn't sure – and suddenly his lips were on hers. Their bodies crashed together as though they were magnets. Genessa wrapped around Brady like a pretzel and he laid her back against the rock she'd been perched on-

"NESSA!"

Genessa pulled back with a gasp, remembering that a world existed beyond the big man between her thighs. Brady's lips against her neck made it difficult for Genessa to think.

"NESTER WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Fuck. Fuckity, fuckity, fuck," Genessa pushed the man – the _strange_ man, who she didn't know and had been KISSING – away and he lifted his upper body away from her, curling back his upper lip and growling at the sound that was taking his mate away. The sound he was making would've freaked her out if she hadn't felt the vibrations all throughout her body. She fought to regain some self-control and keep her hips from rolling up into his.

"GENESSA!"

Genessa slid away from him as the sound of her brother's voice grew closer.

"My brothers – I wasn't supposed to be gone so long," she stumbled through an explanation as she fumbled with her top.

Brady took it from her and deftly helped her to fix it, recalling Jared's memory of taking Kim out of a similar bikini and doing the exact opposite. He planted a kiss on Genessa's shoulder when he was done and she shivered.

"I have to get back."

"I'll come with you."

"NO! Stay here, please."

That said, she jumped back into the water and swam over to her brother, popping up behind him in and clambering onto his back before he could realize she was there.

"Boo!" she yelled, making him scream while the others laughed. "Sorry, I didn't realize how far I'd gotten."

"'s'okay. It's time to eat," Tyler jogged over to where the rest of the group had gathered at a picnic bench and deposited his sister beside his girlfriend as he went to take a seat on Lauren's other side.

Genessa hadn't realized that she'd needed to be carried until precisely that moment. Even sitting down, she felt like her legs were boneless, plus she was dizzy and she still hadn't caught her breath. Either that guy had been a really good kisser or he'd given her the ick. Genessa cast a glance back at the water and groaned, feeling like some sort of after-school special about the dangers of kissing strangers as she laid her head on the table.

"What's the matter?"

Eric ran a gentle hand over Genessa's head.

"I think I swallowed some of the sea water."

"Ben, can you get Ness a water bottle?"

Ben opened a bottle for Ness and handed it to her, watching her worriedly as she took it with trembling hands.

"She doesn't look good," Ben murmured, stating the obvious. Genessa was shaking and her naturally bronze skin was beginning to look rather pale. "Maybe we should go."

The seven young people grabbed their possessions and got into the car much faster than they'd gotten out. Eric slid into the passenger seat with Genessa in his lap as Tyler got behind the wheel and took off. As they crossed the border from La Push into Forks, Genessa started murmuring about how she was cold and everything hurt and her shaking increased to the point where Eric started to worry that she was having a seizure.

"I think we need to go to the hospital."

"No," Genessa shook her head vehemently and Eric held her tightly to make her stop. "I don't wanna go to the hospital, I wanna go home."

Eric's heart broke as she began to cry.

"Ty?"

Tyler had already taken out his phone.

"Siri, call Home."

"I'm sorry was that Mom or Home?"

"Call Home, Siri."

"Calling Mom."

She answered on the third ring, the traces of lingering laughter in her voice.

"How's it going Ty?"

"Genessa got sick. She's shaking, she said that she's cold and in pain, but she doesn't want me to take her to the hospital."

"Bring her home and we'll see if she really needs to go."

By the time they reached the house, all four of the Yorkie-Crowley parents were waiting outside.

The SUV wasn't fully stopped in the driveway before they rushed it. John Yorkie yanked open the door for David Crowley to pluck the afflicted girl up out of her brother's grasp. Vivian Crowley popped a thermometer in Genessa's mouth as she was hustled through the door Mai Yorkie held open.

"Temperature's normal," David announced, handing the thermometer off to Mai when it beeped.

"I think we need to get her out of these wet clothes."

"She could probably use a warm bath."

David carried Genessa into the bathroom and left her to her mothers' care.

She stopped shivering and fell asleep during her bath. Her mothers hoisted her out and dried her off, slipping Genessa into a fleece nightgown before calling for one of her fathers to carry her to the adjoining guestroom. Someone woke the girl up enough to drink a bottle of water and take a teaspoon of Tylenol, then they put her to bed and agreed to check on her every half hour the way they'd done whenever one of their children was sick.

As they checked on her throughout the night, all four agreed that Genessa seemed to be doing better and wondered whether her sudden illness might have disappeared just as quickly as it had come. They had no idea that the reason for her peaceful slumber was the wolf laying in their backyard beneath her window. His body (which was longer than the length of the bed on which she slept) was stretched out along the outer side of the wall Genessa was pressed up against inside and his presence calmed her tremendously.

The wolf whined, hating that he was separated from his mate when she so obviously needed him.

 _You're doing well, Brady. She'll be fine._ Sam coached and the wolf settled a bit at his Alpha's encouragement.

 _Sam._

 _Sam._

 _Boss._

 _Alpha._

 _Sammy-boy._

Sam rolled his eyes as his head was filled with his pack.

Ever since Volturi Gate in winter 2006, the wolves had been experimenting with increasing their abilities. They'd gotten stronger, faster, improved their senses and expanded their telepathic connection to the point where each wolf was able to communicate with his – or her, in the case of Leah who was still the only female wolf – Alpha regardless of his or her form. They had also learned to control their thoughts a lot better, but it was kind of like trying to keep a door closed while someone tried to open it from the other side – it required conscious effort to keep a lid on their thoughts, so many of the wolves simply left it open; thankfully, in contrast to the head space they were forced to share when phased, in human form the wolves were only able to access one another when they consciously opened their minds.

 _What's up?_

 _Billy wants us to remind you you're supposed to be at a meeting._

' _Kay, tell him I'm on my way._

 _Got it._

Sam closed the door on his connection with his other wolves and focused back in on Brady. _I'll stay open, so I can hear if you need anything. Just let me know._

 _Alright. Thanks, Sam._

 _No problem._ Sam gave Brady the mental equivalent of a pat on the shoulder and pushed his link to the younger wolf from the forefront of his mind to the back of his consciousness. It was something like switching from a full volume ringtone to vibrate. It was kind of cool, but it was still pretty weird. Sam finished washing the dishes before wiping down the countertop and coming around the half wall that separated the kitchen from the rest of the great room to tell Emily he was heading out.

"When do you think you'll be back?" She asked and Sam shrugged.

"Shouldn't be more than an hour and a half - two tops."

Emily made a face. It was already 6:30 in the evening. Sam was going to miss putting their son to bed _again_ , and it was one of the rare nights when it was just their family. No overgrown, ravenous teenage boys with hot tempers and bottomless pits for stomachs. Just Emily, Sam, and Kaden. Even though all of the craziness with the vampires had ended nearly two years ago, nights like these were few and far in between. Between the council, the packs, the vampires who liked to make random appearances, and his work as a tribal peacekeeper, it seemed like somebody always wanted a piece of Sam -and Emily was tired of it. She wanted to be selfish and keep Sam all to herself; she wanted to puppy guard him and snap at everyone who tried to take a piece of him - couldn't they tell that they were pulling him apart? - but she couldn't. Sam was an Alpha and Emily was his mate. She couldn't very well fight the hand that fate had dealt them when it had been the thing that had brought them together.

"Alright."

"DADDY!" Kaden burst into the room, running for Sam's legs, but Emily intercepted him and swung the little toddler up onto her hip.

"Daddy has to go see the Council, Kade. Why don't we give Daddy goodbye kisses and then go see what the fuss was about?"

"Okay," Kaden pouted with all the drama of an eighteen month old and dutifully bid Sam a farewell. Sam stooped to kiss the boy's chubby cheek, then Emily's stomach where another one of his pups grew - currently undetectable to all but himself- before raising himself to kiss Emily.

"We'll see you later, Sam. Love you."

"Love you more, Em."

"Hurry back."

"Always."

It physically hurt Sam to walk out of the house and away from his wife and child, especially knowing that his imprint didn't want him to go. Emily hadn't said anything to him, and he knew she wouldn't, but he knew his imprint well enough to know how she felt. Emily had sacrificed so much for him already - her independence, her reputation, her face… she couldn't go on like this forever.

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A/N: Alrighty folks, so none of the new wolves made it into this chapter, but I promise you they will be popping up in the near future. If you or anyone you know is interested in being my beta, do let me know. Thank you coming along with me on this journey. I know it's not easy to be a WIP reader, so I value your courage and I will do my best to honor it! Please leave a review to let me know what you're thinking.  
Thank you, loves  
-Lorrai

P.S. I'll dedicate the next chapter to anyone who can tell me the name of the song Genessa sings here. See ya soon! :P


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and material belong to Stephenie Meyer. This is my first wolf-fic. Be gentle...

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 _Leah: Jake, if you don't hurry up, you'll be late for the Council._

Jake rolled his eyes - not an easy feat for a wolf - he had better things to do than sit in the Tribal Center's stuffy old room with Sam and a dozen elders; for starters, there was his imprint. He turned a fond gaze on a flash of bronze taking down a deer - Renesmee was turning out to be a fine hunter.

 _Leah: I'll make sure your imprint gets home safely. Just get a move on, Jake. I don't need to hear my mom moan about her interrupted Charlie time._

 _Jake: Quit nagging. I'm going, Leah._

Leah phased out - presumably to don one of her many sundresses - and Jake yipped at his Nessie to tell her that he was heading out.

"Bye, Jake," she'd ripped her mouth from the deer's jugular to give him a bloody farewell smile and voraciously returned to her meal once Jake had disappeared deeper into the woods. She knew he wouldn't leave her by herself for long. Renesmee sat back against the nearest tree once she'd had her fill and closed her eyes in concentration, trying to focus on the scents around her to determine which wolf Jake had sent for her.

"Hi, Leah."

"Hey, Ren. Looks like you're getting better with tracking, huh?"

"It helps when you're sniffing out the only female shifter - no one else smells anything like you."

"Learn to take a compliment, kid," Leah tried to ignore the only female shifter bit; she knew Renesmee hadn't meant to be hurtful but the reminder that she was still a freak among freaks (despite the fact that seven more had phased to join the freakiness since Renesmee's birth) always did smart a bit. "Come on let's get you cleaned up or your Auntie Alice will have a conniption."

Renesmee stood and pouted down at her blood-splattered outfit and sighed, letting Leah lead her to the stream both supernatural girls could hear gurgling from miles away. Gingerly, Renesmee placed a hand on Leah's, asking for permission to show the wolf something with her gift. Leah paused before nodding - even after two years, the whole "vampires-with-gifts" thing still freaked her out; but, she had a bit of a soft spot for the little half-pire.

"Go ahead," the moment the words escaped Leah's mouth, she was immersed in Renesmee's self-disappointment. "Ren, it's fine to be a messy eater. You can worry about etiquette when you stop being two."

"I'm not two, I'm six."

"Really? I'm pretty sure you were only born two years ago. If I recall correctly, I was there," Leah fought to control a repulsed shudder at the memory of what being there had entailed.

"Leah, you know what I mean!" Renesmee hissed, jumping angrily into the water and splashing around a bit. "I certainly don't look like a two year old. I don't have the mind of a two year old. I don't feel like a two year old!"

"So you're a little different," Leah shrugged, watching waves form as she swung her legs in the water, "but the fact of matter is you're still two."

Renesmee sullenly ducked beneath the water, staying submerged for as long as she could. She let out a gust of breath, smiling at the swirl of bubbles that erupted around her before resurfacing like some sort of a swamp creature: Renesmee, the half-vamp Loch Ness monster. Leah silently chuckled at the thought.

"You ready to go home now, Ren?"

"I guess," Renesmee swam back to the shore and sighed as she looked down at her ruined clothes. It was a good thing Auntie Alice enjoyed shopping too much to care about what became of the things she purchased.

After leaving Renesmee at the back door to the cottage where her family lived (although the term "lived" was relative being that the members of her family were more dead than alive) behind Casa de Cullen, Leah retraced her steps back to the deer Renesmee had feasted on. She thanked the deer for its sacrifice and prayed for the peace of its spirit in the realm of the dead before burying it. Disrobing and tying her dress loosely about her ankle, Leah phased and headed towards the La Push Tribal Center.

-SUNRISE-

"... and the program, if you are amenable, would begin this fall," Billy was finishing up his speech when Leah entered, making as little noise as possible. Jake turned, catching her eye.

 _She's fine_ (Renesmee waving from the cottage as Leah walked away). _What's going on?_

 _New job opportunity… I'll fill you in later._

Leah nodded and lifted her hand in salutation to her mother.

"If they are amenable," Elder West swept a disdainful eye on the four wolves standing before the panel as he met Billy's authoritative glare with one of his own. Russell West had been a recent addition to the council following the death of his uncle; he still hadn't gotten used to the idea of the shifters existence and he'd butted heads with the other members several times over the fact that he saw them as little more than guard dogs. "Who are they to speak for the youth of the tribe?"

"They are the Protectors -" Old Quil began.

"So let them protect - hunt Cold Ones or something. They really should have no say in matters of the Council -"

"As the protectors, the wolves - especially the alphas and betas act as honorary members of this council, but of course you are familiar with the old ways, so you already know that - don't you, Russell?" Sue's syrupy sweet tone had a biting edge to it that shut the other council member up; she smiled her satisfaction and gestured for Billy to continue.

"What do you think of the proposal?"

"This sounds like a great opportunity," the council - minus one certain member - was impressed by the maturity in Jake's tone, "please inform them that the Quileute look forward to connecting with their native brothers."

"I agree," Sam's tone was somewhat distracted. "Elders, I have something I would like to say," he paused, silent under their inquisitive gazes.

"Sam?"

The wolf in question looked about the room uncomfortably, pausing to give Leah an especially awkward glance that made both Clearwater women furrow their brows and look upon each other with questions dancing in their eyes.

"Sam," Old Quil's folding chair creaked beneath him as he shifted, using a wooden cane for support, "Go on ahead and spit it out son."

"I," he called upon the power of the Alpha and stopped fidgeting like a nervous pup as he addressed the council, "Elders, my mate is pregnant again and I'd like to stop phasing so I can grow old with her and my pups."

Leah internally nodded to herself, so that's what the look was about. The man that should have been hers was having another baby that could have been hers with a woman that would have been her had things been different; had there been no such thing as supernatural creatures, and imprinting, and fiancée-stealing cousins, and she-wolves, and heart-attacks, and barren wombs. Leah ignored the concerned looks of her mother and alpha, instead focusing on the clock mounted above the only window in the Tribal Center's conference room; the clock was only right twice a day - it had stopped working ages ago, but no one could be bothered to fix it.

"Let me be the first to congratulate you Sam," Billy smiled a tired smile and Sam ducked his head deferentially, "but are you sure this is what you want? Are you sure you want to give up your wolf, your pack?"  
"I think it was always meant to be this way. I was never really meant to be Alpha, just to usher in the new generation. I believe my purpose has been served and I would like to step down and let the rightful Alpha take his place," his eyes darted to Jake's surprised form and back to the council as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Very well, I believe the details should be handled by those of us who are more directly affected by the wolf hierarchy, so we'll leave those matters to you, but please be sure to keep us informed, hmm?"

The four wolves nodded and Billy's eyes swept across the room - he looked every bit the chief he was, even in his wheelchair.

"Was there anything else on the agenda? Yes, Noah."

Noah Strong opened his mouth to speak and a cacophony of howls rang out.

"New phase," Jake explained to the wide-eyed council, "Leah can take care of him while we finish up here."

With one last respectful nod to the elders, Leah and Jared escaped from the Tribal Center via a backdoor that led straight into the woods where Judah Taxilit, the youngest member of Leah's pack, frantically tried to stuff himself into his clothes and run to the center simultaneously.

"Leah!" her name was equal parts panic and relief on his tongue as he lost the struggle to hold his shape and burst into a white wolf.

Leah followed suit, tossing her silvery-gray wolf head as she demanded to be brought up to speed on the situation - and what a situation it was.

There were three - four - three - four voices in her head:

J _udah: He won't stop phasing. This is not good. So not good. So not good. So not good._

 _Seth: Look, Leah, I have no idea who just phased, but it's definitely not Danny (the boy who'd been on wolf-watch sitting in his room doing homework)_

 _Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

 _Embry: I'm Embry_

 _Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

 _Embry: and you are?_

 _Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

 _Judah: So not good. So not good. So not good._

 _Embry: Leah, we have a problem_

 _Leah: Thanks for the update, Sherlock. Jude, phase out. Seth, stay with Danny, but phase out. Embry, how close are you?_

 _Embry: About 50 yards - he's growling, won't let me approach. Hey Leah, you realize Jude's naked?_

 _Leah: Crap, hold on._

"Jude, wolf it to Billy's and then go home, and think silently, got it?"

"Got it," the order rolled over the boy seamlessly and Jude and Leah phased back simultaneously.

 _Leah: Embry, I'm on my way. Can you tell me what exactly is going on?_

 _Embry: I'm at the beach watching this guy (tall native kid) go nuts over his lost phone. All the_ _sudden he's vibrating and then - BAM!_

 _Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

 _Embry: - he phases. This girl (pretty native girl with long hair)_

 _Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

 _Embry: -sees and she's like "Holy Q'wati," and then, as she's fainting, in the millisecond her eyes are rolling back, BAM! - he imprints._

 _Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

 _Embry: She falls on the ground, he phases human, sees me, phases wolf, growls, phases, and he's been doing that pretty much ever since (girl unconscious under man-wolf, constantly phasing between forms)._

 _Unknown Wolf: Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine. Mate. Protect. Mine..._

 _Danny: LIMIT AS N APPROACHES INFINITY! What the hell?! Mrs. Cameron I will end you! Paws? Holy Q'wati - I've finally cracked. Oh my gosh. I am hallucinating! Calculus broke my brain._

 _Seth: Danny_

 _Danny: And now I'm hearing voices! Oh my Q'wati. I am turning into Sybil. (The people, the people) What the -_

 _Seth: Danny try to calm down. I am Seth, the legends are true, and you are now one of the Quileute protectors._

 _Danny: (Mrs. Talltree's voice "Daniel, sweetie, are you - Holy Q'wati! It's a wolf! Richard get my gun!") Mom? Mom? It's me - Danny, your son. Mom?_

 _Leah: Danny, go with Seth_

 _Danny: Mom? Mommy? Help me._

 _Leah: Daniel Talltree, go with Seth. Seth get him out of there before she comes back! Embry, go help him._

 _Embry: Are you sure you don't need me to stay here?_

 _Leah: I've got it covered. Hustle!_

 _Embry: Yes, ma'am._

As Embry turned, he saw that Leah had phased and was making her way toward the new wolf and his imprint on all fours in human form, her back arched and her butt swaying with her movements. Embry (the man) couldn't help but let his eyes rove her body a second time (his wolf didn't see anything enticing about the naked creature, but he was a bit curious about this new development since she usually walked on two legs).

 _Seth: Eyes to yourself, Embry!_

Seth attempted a growl for Embry's benefit and the guilty wolf peeled his eyes from Leah as he galloped toward Seth and Danny.

 _Danny: Is that a tail? Come here! I want to play with you!_

It was a dizzying sight, Embry wished that Danny would quit chasing his tail and was surprised when the cub actually did, sitting on his haunches and wagging his tail enthusiastically as he looked over at Seth with a goofy puppy grin, before taking off after a scent he'd caught. Embry bounded onto the scene, impeding the chase and Daniel whimpered as his rabbit scampered away.

 _Embry: Dan, sit down and listen. I am Embry Call and that is Seth Clearwater. (Danny conjured up the image of the two wolves' human forms and Embry sent out a wave of encouragement) Exactly. We - along with a number of other guys, including your brothers,_

 _Seth: and Leah_

 _Embry: are the werewolf protectors of La Push._

 _Danny: Werewolf? But it's not a full moon..._

 _Embry: Okay, so we're not exactly werewolves; technically, we're skinwalkers or shapeshifters - whatever term you'd prefer. Long story short, the legends are true and now the ancestors have chosen you to join us._

 _Danny: So... I'm not crazy?_

 _Embry: No, you're not._

 _Danny: Can I unpoof?_

 _Embry: Unpoof?_

 _Seth: I think he means phase._

 _Embry: Oh, right. Of course you can phase back. We'll help you._

-SUNRISE-

Leah army crawled toward the trembling wolf who was hovering over his imprint at a pace that would've been slow for a human, and was thus, agonizingly slow for the she-wolf; but, there was nothing she wouldn't do for this wolf - or any other wolf - he was pack, and pack was everything. She lowered herself onto her belly and stared into the wolf's eyes; he whimpered and looked away, settling down a bit, still crouched over his imprint. Leah sat up slowly so as not to frighten the wolf who was making noises low in his throat and showing his teeth.

"Shh, I'm not gonna hurt you, little brother." her voice was a barely a whisper, but she knew his supernatural abilities allowed him to hear every word.

The wolf phased human and, finally, managed to hold his shape; he blinked like he was just waking from a fog.

"What just - how did I -"

"We're wolves - the ancestors have chosen us to protect La Push from the evils of the supernatural realm."

"But those are just legends."

"I used to think so, too," Leah's explanation was interrupted by the groaning of an imprint.

"Are you okay?" The new wolf was instantly in his imprint's face as her eyes blinked open slowly.

"I... I think so," she smiled shyly up at the boy whose face was hovering above her own; admiration quickly turned to abject horror as she realized that his face was not the only part of his anatomy available for her viewing pleasure.

"Oh my gosh, Aaron, you're naked!" she sat up quickly, her forehead narrowly avoiding his as she rushed to avert her eyes and instead found a nude she-wolf. "Leah! What kind of a freaky nudist cult ceremony-"

"So I'm guessing you don't remember what happened." Smirking with more amusement than she should have, Leah untied the dress hanging around her ankle and slipped it over her head.

"What happened?! Am I still a virgin?"

"You still have your clothes on, don't you?"

The new wolf - Aaron - growled a warning at Leah, who growled back menacingly. Aaron vibrated with an impending phase.

"Calm yourself, you don't want to hurt her. Take a few steps back," Leah nodded her approval when Aaron complied.

"Can someone tell me what's going on? Actually I don't think I want to know. I'm just gonna go and you guys can have your freaky nudist pow wow or whatever," the girl slowly began to back away and found herself colliding with a warm wall of man.

"Don't go," Aaron pleaded, desperately grabbing her arm; the girl began to swoon and caught herself, tearing out of his arms and clapping her hands over her eyes.

"Don't touch me! Put some clothes on, Aaron! What is wrong with you?"

Aaron looked heartbroken. It was time for Leah to take the reins again.

"Shut up for a moment, girlie."

"Andie," the imprint corrected sullenly.

"Aaron, there should be some shorts over by that tree," Leah pointed before going back to Andie. "Look he's a wolf, you're an imprint; he protects La Push from vampires and the two of you will be disgustingly in love for the rest of your lives and live happily ever after."

The imprinted couple, wide-eyed and shell shocked, looked from Leah to one another shyly. Leah sighed, she'd probably messed that up royally, but they seemed to be taking things well.

"You're probably burning with curiosity and I'd bet you're hungry, or at least you are," she gave Aaron a significant look. "We'll go to my house and eat something, hopefully someone will be there who can answer any questions you might have. C'mon."

* * *

Current Packs:

SAM'S PACK (in order of pack hierarchy... *unnamed phases from BD, ~for noobs):

Sam (22), Jared (18), Paul Lahote, Quil Ateara (18), Anthony Raven (17)*, Brady Fuller (15), Collin Littlesea (15), Xavier Aki (16)

JAKE'S PACK (and Imprints, in order of pack hierarchy):

Jacob Black (18), Leah Clearwater (22), Embry Call (18), Seth Clearwater (16), Ephraim Hoh (17)*, Michael Talltree (19), Timothy Chimakum (18)*, Gabriel Talltree (17)*, Judah Taxilit (14)*, ~Daniel Talltree (16), ~Aaron Smelt (16)


End file.
